Follow the author of this article

Follow the topics within this article

British films may struggle to receive future Oscar nominations because of plans to move the awards ceremony forward by two weeks, it has been claimed.

Cinema experts warned a rearranged awards season timetable set to be introduced in 2020 could impact the chances of best picture contenders created in the UK.

Next year's ceremony takes place at Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre on February 24. But the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced that the 2020 ceremony will be held on February 9.

British film distributors and critics said the date shift will cause a “crush” of films being released within the awards corridor over Christmas, which will make it harder to stake claims for honours.

Film critic Anna Smith, President of The Critics' Circle, told The Daily Telegraph: “The Oscar date shift will have huge repercussions across the industry - the structure of awards season is finely-tuned and every department is going to be affected.

"With a shorter timeframe to cram in all the awards contenders, and the issue of the Christmas holidays in the middle, independent films and non-American titles seem particularly likely to be affected, so UK titles - especially those without huge marketing budgets - would be right to be worried.

“Cinemas only have so many screens, and smaller titles can struggle when up against heavily-promoted Hollywood fare.”

Mark Batey, chief executive of the Film Distributors' Association (FDA), told The Daily Telegraph said he feared the altered scheduled could make it harder for cinema-goers to watch the best British films of the year.

Mr Batey said: “The current awards season, or corridor, runs for roughly two or three months from December and the Oscars are the climax of that season.

“It’s a crowded and competitive season and every year a cluster of films vie for attention amid lots of coverage, media buzz and advertising.

”And if we condense that period right down these pictures will cannibalise each other and the audience won’t have a chance to see them.”

“The industry will find a way to adapt, but the worst case is that we see lots of nominated titles opening at the cinema on the same date.

“And cinema goers only have so many hours of of leisure time available in a week. It could end up in a crush.”

An additional concern for the UK film industry is that the rush to push films to the cinema in the run-up to the Oscars could see films competing with Christmas blockbusters and family friendly films over the festive season.

Mr Batey, said: “I can understand why the shift makes sense in California, but there are implications here as you start to think of what it means for the international film market”

The change is also likely to force Bafta to move its award ceremony in line with the Oscars.

A spokesperson for the body said: “We are now looking at the timeline for the British Academy Film Awards, and will consult with the industry, before announcing our date for 2020. Our intention will be to stay ahead of the Oscars, as we have been since 2001.”

The Oscars are facing an update for 2020 as part of an attempt to lure a greater audience, with changes to the ceremony and a brand new category for the first time in 18 years.

The Outstanding Achievement in Popular Film award has been added to the existing 23 categories, which could see more blockbusters and action films – traditionally excluded from being nominated for the main awards – taking home a statuette.